Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of UK participation in the Trident II Service- Life Extension programme.

The United Kingdom (UK) approved participation in the United States (US) led Life Extension programme to enable Trident II D5 missiles to remain in service until at least the 2040s at a cost of £320.5 million. To maintain the shared inventory with the US, the UK additionally participates in other missile related programmes to sustain key components and extend the service life of the boost rocket motors at a cost of £140 million and £361 million respectively, taking the total cost to £821.5 million.